It
normally takes me at least a week to put SIGNALS together from the
time I first sit down at the computer to the time Erik gets it up
online. And, a lot can happen in
that week of processing. In a perfect world, as I wrap up the
November edition, I’m telling you about the move back to
Rensselaer. Not yet, but maybe by the time this goes up on line we’ll
have pictures for you.
November
is that month where so many years we had said to ourselves, “Why
the hell are we still open?” By this time all the other riverfront
attractions, The Albany Aquaducks, The Dutch Apple Cruise Boat, the
Captain JP and the Riverfront Barge Bar and Grill have all shut down
for the season. But not us. We’re tough and we hang in to the
bitter end. And, this was the year that it paid off. Despite the
scare of that late October snow storm, November turned out to be a
wonderfully mild month with lots of good days, good for painting and
good for visitors.

The
deck crew finished chipping and priming the main deck starboard side,
so in the past two years they have done the main deck in its
entirety. We made the decision not
to put the top coat of deck blue on the last third of the starboard
side, because winter will ravage it and it will look hideous in the
spring. We’ll let it go with primer for now and topcoat in the
spring so it will look great for opening day. We put the whaleboat up
for the season. Our experienced boat builder Larry
Rockwood has suggested that every
third or fourth year, we have the boat hauled at Scarano’s Boatyard
and stored inside so he can work on it over the winter replacing any
dry rotted members that were newly discovered. So, on a warm sunny
Monday, Larry Williams,
Gus Negus
and Mike Dingmon
motored out of the berth for the last time and took the boat south a
mile to the yard, where it has been hauled, moved into the boat shed
and cradled for the winter. The big loss will be to the engineers
since Rocky will be working on the boat all winter instead of helping
them restore engines.
The
engineers are prepping for the move.
They have the batteries charged and have made several test runs with
the emergency diesel generator to make sure they are ready to provide
electricity, lights and hot coffee for the trip across the river.
Rosehn Gipe
made all her arrangements, and she has the electrical power turned on
at the Rensselaer berth, the dumpster and most important, the
port-a-john in place. All we need are a crane to lift the gangways,
two tugs and a nice calm day. The shipfitters busied themselves with
their winter preparations. They drained down the entire fresh water
and septic system, blew all the systems out with compressed air, and
then flushed them with antifreeze. During the process, Super Dave
Mardon pulled the classic
submariner’s mistake of flushing a commode with the compressed air
on the water line. Fortunately all he got was a face full of clean
water and antifreeze.
Another
one of the new challenges we face in getting ready for winter is
lifting the fenders. The big rubber
floating fenders on the mooring monopiles cost about $30,000 each and
we have been advised that they might not stand up well to heavy ice.
So last year, Doug Tanner
devised a way of hoisting them with chain falls so they are out of
the water in the winter. Of course this has to be done from the deck
of a boat, so last year that tied up the tug for an extra hour. This
year Doug planned to lift the fenders while the ship was in place, so
we could rig and life the fenders working from the deck of SLATER. In
the “not all my ideas are good ideas” category, I suggested that
we could lift the forward fender with the anchor windlass. Nobody
seemed to disagree; so we rigged snatch blocks from the monopole and
fair led two 1” nylon lines to the anchor windlass. As a back up,
we rigged the chain falls to hold the load in place once we were
finished.

Rigging
the slings, chain falls and snatch blocks to hoist these fenders is
an adventure in itself. This year,
the preparations went without incident except for someone forgetting
to tie down the aluminum extension ladder when they were working on
the aft monopole. Tanner left the boys unsupervised to go make lunch
and apparently at the moment they all had their backs turned the
ladder went over the side. Tanner blamed Benner. Benner said he was
in the machine shop so he blamed Super Dave. Dave just takes the rap.
It seemed like an easy matter to get a grappling hook and fish it
out, so grappling hook number 1 went down and promptly caught on
something too heavy to lift. The line was tied to the back of Dick
Walker’s pickup truck, and he put
enough tension on the line to snap it. Super Dave went down on the
paint float and grappling hook number two went down. It immediately
snagged an object too heavy to be the ladder. We called for more
muscle. That meant the engineers Gary
Lubrano and Mike
Dingmon. Five of us pulled from the
gangway while Dave pulled from the paint float, and up came the
biggest tire we have ever seen. Dave did manage to unsnag the
grappling hook, and we decided to purchase a new extension ladder.
When
lift day came, they took up on the anchor windlass and two issues
immediately became apparent; 1) those fenders weighed a lot more than
the whaleboat, and 2) the electric brake on the windlass wasn’t
holding the load. Those of you
familiar with deck work know about the way a line can jump on a
windlass when it’s under too much tension, or the unhappy sounds
nylon makes when it’s saying, “You’re gonna be sorry.”
Fortunately “Boats” Haggart
was on hand with his trusty stoppers to hold the load while we made a
couple attempts at straightening out the line on the windlass before
we aborted the attempt, took everything apart and went back to the
time consuming, backbreaking, but a much safer method of lifting with
the chain falls. Bear in mind that this is only our second time
dealing with this challenge, so we’re still working out the kinks.
Next year I think I’ll invest in a couple of two-ton electric
hoists, as well as the new extension ladder.
The
leader of our RPI NROTC volunteers made SLATER a special part of her
life. In what I believe is our first
wedding aboard SLATER, on Friday November 4th
Midshipman Elizabeth Church and
Ensign Max Leviton were
married on the foc’s’le. The event kind of had the feel of those
hurried romances of World War II. Max was getting ready to deploy on
USS NEW ORLEANS LPD-18 out of San Diego.
They decided it was time to tie the knot before he left, got the
license, invited the relatives in for a small civil ceremony but as
late as Thursday, had not decided on a location. Then Liz had the
inspiration to do it aboard SLATER. She called Rosehn, who set it up,
as it was the least we could do for one of our most dedicated
volunteers. Liz, who has spent more time bilge crawling than anyone
aboard cleaned up wonderfully and made a beautiful bride. We waived
the “no alcohol” rule for this moment to wish the couple a bright
and promising future. We’re glad we could be there to share this
part of their lives.
On
November 10th,
SLATER was once again invaded by a sea of red jackets as the Marine
Corps League celebrated the 236th birthday of the founding of the
Corps.Tom
DeMeo coordinated a wonderful event
that saw great participation and included the oldest Marine present
giving a piece of birthday cake to the youngest Marine present.
You’ve got to hand it to the Marines. They don’t have any
identity problems. They know who they are and are proud of it.
Veterans
Day, 11/11/11 was very special to us this year.
The day began with a commemoration aboard SLATER at 0830 organized by
Paul Czesak.
Trustee Steve Long
was master of ceremonies and opened the ceremony by parading the
colors and introducing Earl Flatt
who gave the invocation. The Governor’s proclamation was presented
by Mark Streb
of the NYS Division of Veterans Affairs, Assemblyman Jack
McEneny and retiring County
Executive Mike Breslin
read remarks honoring our veterans. The RPI Midshipmen were on hand
as our gun crew to fire the honor salute and Mark
Stella played Taps to close the
ceremony. We opened for tours to a busy day that was capped by two
events at the Fort Orange Club.
The
Trustees of the Destroyer Escort Historical Museum met at the Fort
Orange Club at 1600 to conduct their quarterly meeting and make
official the leadership change that has been in the works for the
past several months. Sam Saylor
officially stepped down as Chairman and Bartley
“BJ” Costello stepped into the
Chairman’s role. Frank Lasch
retired as Board President to be replaced by the former Treasurer
Tony Esposito. Greg Wolanin
became the new Vice President, Hal
Hatfield took over the role of
Treasurer and Greg Krawczyk
assumed the position as Secretary. Both Sam and Frank will remain as
voting members of the Board. Reports were given, old business taken
care of, and Steve Long proposed making SLATER a site for a
naturalization ceremony sometime in the near future. A letter has
been sent to Congressman Paul Tonko
to that effect. Business concluded, the Trustees adjourned to the
West Lounge where our 11/11/11 One Date--One Ship Fundraiser
commenced.
The
event was organized by the Executive Director of the Albany County
Convention and Visitors Bureau, Michele Vennard, Gordon Lattey and
DEHM secretary Greg Krawczyk. It was
designed to increase awareness and help the Hull Preservation Fund,
as well as reinstitute the idea of an annual event that had been
started several years ago by Doris
Fischer, Paul Czesak and Geoffrey
Bullard. Following an hour of
socializing, awards were presented to Frank Lasch and Sam Saylor for
their years of dedicated service. BJ
Costello paid tribute to Frank not
only for his years of service but for the mentoring he provided. As
health reasons prevented Sam from attending, Trustee John
Cosgrove, former president of the
National Press Club and a yeoman of USS GENDREAU DE639 came up from
Washington to accept the award on Sam’s behalf. John talked about
the early days of SLATER and the struggles to obtain the ship and
establish the museum and the importance of recognizing the DE ship
and Sailor. Then, Gordon Lattey
took the podium and gave a compelling talk on the contributions of
the destroyer escorts to our nation’s history and the need for the
community to embrace USS SLATER. The event raised over $25,000 for
the Hull Fund and we anticipate that it will become an annual
tradition.
We
had two very nice pieces of press released this month. Rick Ianello
and Paul
Bray of the Albany Guardian Society
made SLATER the centerpiece of the December edition of their
quarterly newsletter “Capital Commons Quarterly.” There is a
detailed article on SLATER with images of the volunteers throughout
the magazine. Hopefully we'll reach a new local audience and get some
new volunteers out of the magazine. The magazine can be viewed online
at http://www.albanyguardiansociety.org/pdf/CCQ_December2011.pdf.
And, Dave Colamaria of the Naval Historical
Foundation put together a wonderful piece on the SLATER’s
restoration to illustrate the effort that goes into maintaining any
historic naval ship. That article can be found online at
http://www.navyhistory.org/2011/12/maintaining-museum-ship/
You volunteers should
check these articles out because many of you are pictured in the
stories.
Heather Maron
completed our application for two state grants, $145,000 for
restoration assistance and $800,000 to continue construction on the
ice deflection portion of the permanent mooring. We don’t know
how our applications will fare in these difficult economic times, but
as they say in lotto, “To have a chance you gotta buy a ticket.”
Early this year, we received an Albany Arts Council Grant to support
our public. The Traveling Classroom outreach series offers curricula
to match the teacher’s school year agenda. Herb Marlow, Max
Dumicich, and Linda visited the New Scotland Elementary
School to present Symbols of Citizenship to Mrs. Gravel’s
third-grade class. They spoke about the meaning of symbols,
patriotism, and veterans through the various components of the
American flag. They also examined the Pledge of Allegiance, and the
meaning of the verse. The classroom split into two groups, The Stars
and The Stripes. Each group participated in making the 13 symbolic
folds of the flag while Mrs. Gravel read aloud the meaning of each
fold. The students were sharp as ever. This program is geared for
grades 2-4. December is already booking up, so if you are an Albany
City School teacher, call now and we can schedule you for one of the
many free in-school programs for grades PreK-8 in January, February,
or March, 2012. To schedule, send an email to linda@ussslater.org
or call 431-1943.
Several of our
volunteers attended the Schenectady County Military Affairs Council
“To Honor and Serve” breakfast at Stratton Air Base, and mingled
with the active military. Back on the ship, with
the good weather came a busy month, starting with a tour by the SUNY
OASIS group put together by Chief Jack
Ryan on the first of the month. The
overnight camping crew was busy as we had Cub Scouts from Glenmont,
the Vanguard Composite Squadron Civil Air Patrol, St. Peter Armenian
Church, Cub Scouts from Poughkeepsie and Cub Scouts from Walden, New
York. The weather stayed warm and the attendance stayed strong right
through the last Sunday we were open, November 27th.
The following Monday the process of securing for the winter began.
The observation deck awning came down and was stowed. All the
furniture and display items were moved inside the classroom. The
donor boards and interpretative graphics all came down and were
stowed inside. Aboard ship the process of covering all the guns,
bedding and display items began.
We ended the tour
season with the Volunteer Appreciation Dinner at the Zaloga Post in
Albany. Sixty-five attended the dinner with music by DJ Floyd Hunt
YN1. The event was generously sponsored by the SLATER Board of
Trustees. The crew was introduced to the new Board President Tony
Esposito and our new Chairman BJ Costello. Both have hit the deck on
the run, working on the challenge of raising money for the Hull Fund
and developing a more proactive Board. During the dinner, Tony
presented the Trustees Awards to two people who have done wonderful
things for SLATER. Each year the Trustees of the Destroyer Escort
Historical Museum honor two volunteers for their service to USS
SLATER. As you can imagine, selecting these honorees from among all
the dedicated volunteers is a most difficult task and a choice we
don’t envy them having to make.
The Destroyer Escort
Historical Museum Trustees honored tour guide William M. Scharoun.
Bill Scharoun has been guiding tours aboard USS SLATER since 1999
when he was 76 years old. Bill is one of our remaining World War II
Veterans. You do the math about his age now. During the Second World
War he served eight years in the Navy aboard the Destroyer Escort USS
OSMUS DE701 and later aboard the Destroyer USS LEARY DD879. He
attained the rank of Gunner’s Mate First Class. He has been aboard
guiding groups through the SLATER almost every Thursday since he
reported aboard with his buddies Bob Dawson and Joe Burke.
It was really hard to pick one from this group because they are all
outstanding, but Bill brings that unique perspective to his tours
that only a sailor who served on a DE in the Pacific can give. Bill
has also taken up the slack holding the CAPDESA group together. When
Bob Donlon was no longer able to perform his secretarial
duties, Bill stepped up to the plate and organized our annual DE Day
commemoration last June. We applaud Bill for his service to the
SLATER and his service to the Nation.
The Trustees
posthumously honored Richard J. Breil, United States Coast Guard.
Dick served aboard the Destroyer Escort USS SELLSTROM DE255,
which served in both the Atlantic and Pacific during World War II.
Dick served aboard SELLSTROM from January 1944 to June 1945 as a
Motor Machinists Mate, making second class. Before and after his
service he worked for Whitehead and Kales, steel fabrication firm
that prefabricated destroyer escort sections for Defoe shipyard. He
retired from there as a sales engineer. He became involved with the
Destroyer Escort Sailors Association and became president of the
Michigan Chapter. Working with Ron Zarem, he organized the
first work week aboard SLATER in 1998 when the crew had no running
water, showers and heat. He attended the work parties until May of
2004 when for reasons of health he could no longer make the trip.
Under Dick’s leadership the work parties grew from six to almost
fifty volunteers at a time. Our only wish is that we had made this
award sooner so he could be with us to receive it.
We’re holding off
on the Winter Fund solicitation for another month to give you a
chance to forget that I just had my hand out soliciting Hull Fund
donations. And some people say I’m my own worst enemy. And,
next month we’ll look at the year in review and talk about the
projects we’re planning over the winter. Until then, I’ll be on
deck with my binoculars looking for a couple tugboats.